Flooring system



July 7, 1970 H. e. TANK 3,518,800

FLOORING SYSTEM Original Filed March 24. 1967 2 Sheets$heet 1 \NVENTQQHE/vz Y 6. TANK 44.2., M AMMQM ATTORNEY$ J ly 7, 1970 H G. TANK3,518,800

FLOORING SYSTEM Original Filed March 24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN1'02.

HEN/2v 6. 77 zw United States Patent 3,518,800 FLOORING SYSTEM Henry G.Tank, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Connor Forest Industries, Laona,Wis., a corporation of Wisconsm Continuation of application Ser. No.625,690, Mar. 24, 1967. This application June 24, 1969, Ser. No. 842,771Int. Cl. E04f 15/18 US. Cl. 52-480 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREDisclosed herein is a flooring system which includes a series of spacedparallel channels supporting a series of abutting floor boards and whichalso includes an underlayer of fiberboard which extends under thefloorboards and under and between the channels and which is secured tothe foundation incident to securing of the channels to the foundation.

This is a continuation of my copending application S.N. 625,690, filedMar. 24, 1967, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the past, flooring systems have been employedincluding an underlayer of different materials separately fabricated andinstalled.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In accordance with the invention, there is providedan underlayer which extends under the conventional support members andfrom adjacent the foundation to adjacent the floorboards in the areabetween adjacent support members. The underlayer comprises a series ofrectangular sheets of ligno-cellulose fiberboard which material hasinherently generally uniform resiliency characteristics, and preferablycane fiber, which seets are provided with one or more recesses forreceipt of conventional support members. Also in accordance with theinvention the underlayer sheets are secured to the foundation incidentto securing of the support members in an otherwise conventional manner.The invention disclosed herein provides an improved floor system whichis particularly economical to install, which affords uniformity ofresilience, which offers reduced moisture and sound transmission, andwhich provides a long and useful life.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become known byreference to the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flooring system employing various ofthe features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an underlay sheet which employs variousof the features of the invention and which is incorporated in theflooring system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a portion of theflooring system shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the underlayer embodied in theflooring system shown in FIG. 1.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION Shown in the drawings is a flooring system 11 whichis adapted to be laid on a foundation 13 of concrete or the like. Theflooring system 11 includes a plurality of parallel support members 15in the form of aligned channel shaped sections 17 secured to theconcrete foundation 13 by headed fasteners 19 which extend throughlongitudinally spaced apertures in the channel-shaped support members 15and are impaled into the concrete 3,518,800 Patented July 7, 1970foundation 13. Extending transversely across the support members 15 areflooring boards 21 which are located in generally abutting relation toone another and which are secured to the support members by means in theform of clips 23. Although clips of various forms can be used, in thedisclosed construction, the clips 23 are constructed in generalaccordance with the clip construction shown in US. Pat. 2,046,593.

In accordance with the invention the support members 15 are spaced fromthe foundation 13 and the area between the foundation 13 and the floorboards 21 between the support members 15 is occupied by an underlayer 25comprising a plurality of sheets 27 of fiberboard.

As shown in FIG. 2, each sheet 27 is generally rectangular in shape, onesuch sheet intended for commercial usage being, for example, 2 by 8' by/2 in depth or thickness. Extending longitudinally of each sheet 27 area pair of recesses 29 which are located in the top face 30 and areadapted to receive an adjacent pair of support members 15. The recesses29 are spaced from each other and from the side edges 31 of the sheet 27such that the distance between the centerlines 33 of the recesses 29 isapproximately equal to the sum of the distances from the side edges 31to the centerlines 33 of the recess 29. In addition, the recesses 29 aregenerally of rectangular cross section having a depth which issubstantially equal to the height of the support members 15 and having awidth which is slightly in excess of the width of the support members15. Although the specific sheets 27 disclosed herein includes a pair ofspaced parallel recess 29, the invention also comprehends the use ofsheets having more than two parallel recesses and at least some of theadvantages of the invention can be obtained when using sheets having asingle centrally extending recess.

The sheets 27 can be fabricated of fiberboard of the lignocellulosetype, More particularly, the sheets can be fabricated of vegetablefibers and are preferably fabricated of cane or bagasse fiber due to thesuperior structural and compression and resiliency properties of thisparticular fiberboard.

As is conventional, the disclosed system 11 also preferably incorporatesa vapor barrier 35 in the form of a suitable film which is laid on thefoundation 13 and between the foundation 13 and the underlayer 25.

Use of an underlayer such as provided by the invention advantageouslyaffords more economical installation than with previous arrangements,such as employed separately fabricated underlayer components which wereseparately installed beneath the support members 15 and other separatedfabricated underlayer components which were installed between thesupport members and were constructed of different material having adifferent compressability from the separately fabricated underlayercomponents used beneath the support members.

Inasmuch as the invention contemplates relatively large sheets in theunderlayer 25, which sheets are recessed at regular intervals to receivethe support members, there is a great reduction in the number of partsto be handled and in the labor of installation. Instead of having theworkmen traverse a floor several times in a manner required by someprior art constructions, the invention contemplates that workmen makinginstallations need only traverse the floor once.

Thus, in accordance with the disclosed invention, the sheets 27 areserially laid in a first row at the margin of the foundation 13. As eachsheet 27 is laid down, channel sections 17 are laid in the recesses 29and the sections 17 and sheets are permanently attached to thefoundation by fasteners 19. Additional support members 15 areautomatically spaced in relation to one another and secured to thefoundation 13 incident to laying of each further row of sheets 27 inlaterally adjacent relation to the previously laid row. The spacebetween support members 15 from the foundation 13 to the flooring board21 is automatically filled and there is no need for multiple passescrosswise of the floor in order to lay each support member 15. Further,a number of support members 15 can be laid simultaneously depending uponthe number of recesses 29 in the sheets 27.

Use of the disclosed underlayer 25 additionally provides for longer lifeof the resulting flooring installation. More specifically, in thisregard, when using integral sheets or boards of cane fiber, there isless compressive set of the material under the support members 15 in theareas in which the support members 15 are fastened to the foundation 13as compared to when using such materials as rubber or butyl strips. Atleast partially as a consequence of the reduced compressive setresulting from the use of fiberboard, under the support members, thereis also less displacement, i.e., bodily lateral movement of the materialunder the support members. In addition, there is less distortion, i.e.,areas of swelling or bunching of the underlaying material between pointsof attachment. Such swelling or bunching results in uneven resiliencydue to areas of increased depth of the underlaying material andincreased resiliency in such areas of swelling or bunch- Under loadingby the foot of an athlete or upon striking by a ball, the disclosedunderlayer 25 has less tendency to move laterally from the point ofimpact than would be the case if butyl or rubber cushion strips wereused under the support members. Use of the disclosed underlayers 25 hasless tendency to rupture and less tendency to withdraw the fasteners 19from the foundation 13.

The improved construction herein disclosed also results in a tendency onthe part of the underlayer 25 to remain flat under the anchoringchannels 17 instead of becoming distorted as sometimes occurs when usingunderlying cushion strips which are separately fabricated and haveheretofore sometimes been made of rubber or butyl.

Support members attached to the foundation in accordance with theinvention also provide uniformity in the distance to the upper edge ofthe support members from the foundation as compared to when using.rubber or butyl cushion strips under the support members. Maintenance ofthe upper edge of the support members in conformity to whateverirregularities may exist in the foundation surface and avoidance ofspanning by the support members over low spots or depressions in thefoundation surface, is important in eliminating dead spots in the floorand obtaining uniform flooring resilience.

Still another advantage of the invention resides in uniformallyobtaining a planar relation of the top surface of the underlay to thetop of the support members. This relation is uniformly obtained in afloor constructed in accordance with the invention because the depth ofthe recesses is substantially equal to the height of the support membersand because the underlay sheets follow the contour of the foundationsurface, as do the support members, due to securement to the foundationof the underlay sheets by the fasteners incident to securing the supportmembers to the foundation. In the use of the disclosed invention, theunderlayer sheets 27 necessarily follow the surface contour of thefoundation to which they are fixed, thereby avoiding unnecessarily highstresses on the fioor board engaging fingers of the attachment clips 23,which can occur when the area between support members is occupied bycomponents which are not secured to the foundation. Thus, in thedisclosed construction, the connection to the floor boards is much moresecure than has been possible in prior art practices when using oneunderlayer material or component between the support members and asecond and different underlayer material or component underneath thesupport members. This advantage of the disclosed construction isattributable in substantial part to the fact that the underlayer 25extends from underneath the support members 15 into the area between thesupport members 15.

Still another feature of the invention resides in reducedtransmissibility of moisture through the flooring. In this regard, theprimary path for moisture fiow from the concrete foundation is aroundthe fasteners which are impaled into the foundation. When using anunderlay in accordance with the invention, a seal is provided betweenthe underlay and the fastener and the path of least resistance tomoisture travel is laterally from the point of attachment underneath theunderlay sheet to the joints between adjacent sheets. In the disclosedconstruction, this path is inherently a long one because there is nojoint or break in the underlayer 25 in immediate proximity to thesupport members 15. In addition, there are relatively few joints orbreaks in the underlayer 25 as compared to various prior artconstructions.

Still another advantage of the invention resides in reduction of soundtransmissibility and increased impact noise resistance. In this regard,transmission of sound, including impact noises, is a particular problemat the joints in the underlay. In a flooring system in accordance withthe disclosed construction, the number of joints or breaks in theunderlayer 25 is substantially less as compared to various prior artconstructions. In addition, employment of a-single material extendingcontinuously both underneath the support members and between the supportmembers also permits rating of the floor in accordance with acceptedstandards with respect to sound transmission class (STC) and withrespect to impact noise resistance (INR).

Use of an underlayer in accordance with the invention also permits useof a greater depth of fiberboard between the flooring boards and thefoundation when using presently existing channel sections withoutrequiring increased thickness of cushion strip material under thesupport members. Such increased depth of fiberboard provides decreasedsound transmission.

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the followingclaims:

What is claimed is:

1. A flooring system including a series of spaced parallel supportmembers, a plurality of floor boards extending transversely above andconnected to said support members, a sheet of material having resiliencyof generally uniform characteristics and having a recess thereinreceiving one of said support members, said sheet extending underneathand to at least one side of said support member, said sheet extending onat least one side of said support member from adjacent the foundation tothe under surface of said floor boards and fastening means extendingthrough said one support member and said sheet into the foundation.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said recess has a depthsubstantially equal to the height of said support member.

3. A flooring system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sheet isfabricated of ligno-cellulose fiberboard.

4. A flooring system in accordance with claim 1 Wherein said sheet isfabricated of cane fiber.

5. In a flooring system including a series of spaced parallel supportmembers, a plurality of fioor boards extending transversely above andconnected to said support members, a sheet of material having resiliencyof generally uniform characteristics and having a recess thereinreceiving one of said support members said sheet extending underneathand to each side of said support member, said sheet extending on eachside of said one support member from adjacent the foundation to theunder surface of said floor boards, and fasteners securing said onesupport member to the foundation with said sheet located in part,between said one support member and said foundation and with said sheetbeing secured between said one support member and said foundation bysaid fasteners.

6. In a flooring system including a series of support members, meansfixing said support members to a foundation in parallel spaced relation,and a plurality of floor boards extending transversely on and connectedto said support members, the improvement comprising the combinationtherewith of an underlayer comprising a plurality of sheets of canefiber of generally rectangular shape, each sheet having a pair of spacedparallel recesses in one face thereof, said recesses each having a depthsubstantially equal to the height of said support members and eachreceiving one of said support members, said underlayer extendingunderneath said support members and from adjacent to the foundation tosaid floor boards in the area between said support members.

7. In a flooring system including a series of spaced parallel supportmembers secured to a foundation and a plurality of floor boardsextending transversely above and connected to said support members, theimprovement comprising the combination therewith of a sheet having apair of recesses therein respectively receiving separate associatedsupport members, said sheet extending underneath and to each side ofsaid associated support members, said sheet extending on each side ofsaid associated support member from adjacent the foundation to the undersurface of said floor boards, said recesses having longitudinal centerlines spaced from each other at a distance approximately equal to thesum of the distances from said center lines to the adjacent side edgesof said sheet, and fasteners securing said associated support members tothe foundation and wherein said sheet is also secured to the foundationby said fasteners securing said associated support members to thefoundation.

8. A flooring system including a series of support members, means fixingsaid support members to a foundation in parallel spaced relation, aplurality of floor boards extending transversely on and connected tosaid members, and an underlayer comprising a sheet of fibrous materialof generally rectangular shape having a recess with a depthsubstantially equal to the height of one of said support members andreceiving said one support member, said sheet extending underneath saidsupport member and from adjacent to the foundation to said floor boardsin the area between said support members.

9. A flooring system including a series of support members extending inparallel spaced relation, a plurality of floor boards extendingtransversely on and connected to said support members, an underlayercomprising a plurality of sheets of generally rectangular shape, saidsheets having a pair of spaced parallel recesses in one face thereof,said recesses each having a depth substantially equal to the height ofsaid support members and each receiving one of said support members,said sheets extending underneath said support members and from adjacentto the foundation to said floor boards in the area between said supportmembers, and fasteners each extending through both said support membersand said sheets to fix said support members and said sheets to thefoundation.

10. A flooring system including a series of spaced parallel supportmembers, a plurality of floor boards extending transversely above andconnected to said support members, a sheet having a recess thereinreceiving one of said support members, said sheet extending underneathand to each side of said one support member, said sheet extending oneach side of said one support member from adjacent a foundation to theundersurface of said floor boards, and fasteners securing said onesupport member to the foundation and wherein said sheet is also securedto the foundation by said fasteners securing said one support member tothe foundation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,302,578 5/1919 Murphy 52480 X1,666,061 4/1928 Foster 52372 X 1,672,255 6/1928 Gorman 52480 X2,882,560 4/1959 Plendl 52-7l0 X 2,895,704 7/1959 Urbain et al. 52480 X3,270,475 9/1966 Kodaras 52480 3,271,916 9/1966 Ornholt 52480 X3,359,696 12/1967 Snaith 52-3 14 PRICE C. PAW, JR., Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 52489, 710

